Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

SCOTUS: It’s not “bribery” unless it comes from the Bribery region of France. Otherwise, it’s merely “sparkling malfeasance”.

When your entire life is steeped in white supremacy, equality feels like discrimination.

They traffic in fear. it is their only currency. if we are fearful, they are winning.

FFS people, this was a good thing. take the win.

Never forget that he train is barreling down on Trump, even as he dances on the tracks.

Chutkan laughs. Lauro sits back down.

This must be what justice looks like, not vengeful, just peaceful exuberance.

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

Make the republican party small enough to drown in a bathtub.

I’ve spoken to my cat about this, but it doesn’t seem to do any good.

It’s pointless to bring up problems that can only be solved with a time machine.

Well, whatever it is, it’s better than being a Republican.

Republicans seem to think life begins at the candlelight dinner the night before.

Cole, when it comes to calico cats, restraint is overrated.

You don’t get rid of your umbrella while it’s still raining.

Another missed opportunity for Jamie Dimon to just shut the fuck up.

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Yeah, with this crowd one never knows.

Just because you believe it, that doesn’t make it true.

Live so that if you miss a day of work people aren’t hoping you’re dead.

It’s not hopeless, and we’re not helpless.

President Biden is doing good where he can, and getting it done.

Ah, the different things are different argument.

Republicans would impeach Biden if he bit into a whole Kit Kat rather than breaking the sections apart.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Open Thread

Reader Interactions

114Comments

  6. 6.

    Punchy

    Can I fire this place up by saying pit bulls can be aggressive, apple computers are overpriced, Palin has nice stems, and the my Hawkeyes will roll GaTech in what HAS to be a better game than last nite’s snoozefest Fiesta.

    The match is lit…..

  7. 7.

    SGEW

    This Double-Agent Suicide Bomber story is pretty vivid.

    The bomber had been recruited by the Jordanian intelligence service and taken to Afghanistan to infiltrate Al Qaeda by posing as a foreign jihadi . . . But in a deadly turnabout, the supposed informant strapped explosives to his body and blew himself up at a meeting Wednesday at the C.I.A.’s Forward Operating Base Chapman in the southeastern province of Khost.
    [. . .]
    Western officials said that [the bomber, Dr. Humam Khali Mohammed,] had been in a Jordanian prison and that he was recruited by the Jordanian spy service.

    I wonder what John Le Carré thinks about all this.

  8. 8.

    Poopyman

    Bah! It’s the second day back at work after 18 days off. I’m thinking retirement would be really really nice … if there was anything left in my 401K.

    OTOH, I got the assessment on my house from the state yesterday. 30% less than 3 years ago, so at least I got that going for me. [rolleyes]

  13. 13.

    Punchy

    @Scott H: My bad. Can I secure a promise with the host of this blizz’og to fire up a Orange Bowl thread sometime around 7 PM EST tonizzle?

    Several Iowa peeps co-mingling here….TIA.

  15. 15.

    Scott H

    What’s up with the blogroll? Not the actual blogs on it, but the section titles seem outdated. John, Tim, Both? What about DougJ and Anne Laurie?

  17. 17.

    MikeJ

    @Scott H: Apple being aggressive is no threat to anybody if they have to use their software to do anything about it. Just got a nano, and man oh man, does itunes suck. The hardware looks nice, but plays back slowed and stuttering.

    But hey, they gave me sticker so I can show everyone how much I love Apple!

  21. 21.

    Ash Can

    @Michael D.: Yikes. That’s looking like one unholy bitch of a midlife crisis. I’d rather see him take up with a 20-year-old starlet and buy a two-seater sports car than do a reverse John Cole. Not pretty.

  22. 22.

    James K. Polk, Esq.

    @MikeJ: Apple products have no flaws, only features.

    Someone will be along shortly to confiscate your Apple sticker. Let that be a lesson to you, young man…

  23. 23.

    ajr22

    Go Hawks! Howard Stern had some fun this morning editing Palin’s audio book. Lets just say I doubt she talks about shitting on Ted Stevens in the book.

  25. 25.

    Morbo

    @Michael D.: As they say on the internet “lolwut?” Maybe he figures the more crazed the opposition the better. Seeing, however, that he gave $9900 to Democratic candidates in ’08 I kinda doubt he’s a closet wingnut. The Daily Beast writer trying to hawk this as the source of their breakup also appears to be a grade A scumbag.

  27. 27.

    srv

    I will start going to church again if Bachmann loses her congressional district due to the census.

  28. 28.

    Keith G

    @SGEW: As a piece of news its a terrible story but as a seed for a genre novel (and later as a Pitt/Clooney vehicle) it’s pretty cool.

  30. 30.

    ellaesther

    @SGEW: This story… it kind of kills me. I feel like it tells us something about how not to fight wars, or something. If the guy was held in a Jordanian prison for any kind of Islamist activity, it’s a decent bet that he wasn’t treated… well. And it just feels to me that the idea of (probably) beating the crap out of someone and then “turning” him is probably not a recipe for success — and that you don’t need to be working in the field to know that.

    But, on the other hand — and I say this most sincerely — I really know so little about it that I don’t truly know what I’m talking about. I just keep rolling it around in my head.

    Also rolling around in my head: How much this story bites Muslims in general and Arabs in particular in the ass. Just how many Americans are now saying “See?! They can’t be trusted!!” because of this one murderous asshole? (And as an Israeli, I’ll throw in — free! no extra charge! — the fact that an even greater percentage of Israelis are going: “We told you so!”)

  31. 31.

    Morbo

    @PeakVT: “Creating Stars?” Isn’t that taking the old “politics is Hollywood for ugly people” saying to its extreme?

  35. 35.

    J.W. Hamner

    I got a new roasting pan for Christmas and am trying to figure out something awesome to cook in it for it’s inaugural trip into the oven. Any suggestions? Nothing too expensive like prime rib or beef tenderloin, but something more exciting then roasting a chicken.

    I’m not sure where that leaves me… a pork roast?

  36. 36.

    martha

    Today’s my birthday (yes, having an early January b-day has always been kinda sucky) and my hub made scones for breakfast…makes up for the fact that I’m at work and it’s 5 degrees outside!

  37. 37.

    bayville

    Sniff, sniff. I smell Financial Meltdown II coming around the corner.

    House Bill H.R. 4173 sounds like a doozy.
    From David Reilly at Bloomberg:

    it supports the biggest banks. It authorizes Federal Reserve banks to provide as much as $4 trillion in emergency funding the next time Wall Street crashes. So much for “no-more-bailouts” talk. That is more than twice what the Fed pumped into markets this time around. The size of the fund makes the bribes in the Senate’s health-care bill look minuscule.

    — Oh, hold on, the Federal Reserve and Treasury Secretary can’t authorize these funds unless “there is at least a 99 percent likelihood that all funds and interest will be paid back.” Too bad the same models used to foresee the housing meltdown probably will be used to predict this likelihood as well.

    But if you own bonds, you can rest easy.

    The bill also allows the government, in a crisis, to back financial firms’ debts.

    Thank God, there will be regulators to monitor the “bail outs”.

    The legislation does create a council of regulators to spot risks to the financial system and big financial firms. Unfortunately this group is made up of folks who missed the problems that led to the current crisis.

    Let the good times begin.

  39. 39.

    Rich

    I was just targeted as a victim of a “Secret Shopper” scam. In this, I received an letter from Canada with an apparently live cashiers check for almost $4000. Apparently I am to cash the check, wire $3600 via Money Gram back to the secret shopper outfit to test MG’s customer service, then keep the rest.

    Of course, the scam might have been a little more believable if the bank name in big print on the check hadn’t said “Comminity Credit Union”. Oops.

  40. 40.

    Keith G

    And I’m thinking the news day will speed up. First, POTUS meets with his security team and then makes a statement. Next, he meets with Congressional leaders to discuss the final HCR push.

    Then there is the cries from the Hamsher left over aborting HRC conference committees negotiation.

  41. 41.

    asiangrrlMN

    @ellaesther: Hey, you! Yeah, well, I’m sure Susan is feeling very down about the break-up. I would happily offer her a shoulder upon which to cry.

    @TR: Fucking awesome. I’ll take our Rush over the other Rush any day of the week. But, I think he has some stiff competition from Franken, Weiner, Sherrod Brown among others.

    @martha: Happy birthday!

  45. 45.

    schrodinger's cat

    David Brooks has an op-ed in this morning’s NYT extolling the virtues of the tea-party movement.

  46. 46.

    gbear

    asiangrrlMN, be very glad that you’re not in MN today. I’m home sick and I can’t decide if it’s flu or depression.

  47. 47.

    Keith G

    @asiangrrlMN: Yeah, I finally saw your earlier post. For some reason, I was reading from the bottom.

    I went to quickly to delete the post and the delete screen ask me for a reason…..”Because I’m an idiot?”.

    But you beat me to it anyway. Are you taking pictures? Wouldn’t mind some tourist p()rn to ease the mid winter blahs.

  50. 50.

    J.W. Hamner

    @Max:
    @peach flavored shampoo:

    Excellent ideas… neither lamb nor brisket occurred to me… I must be having some sort of brain cramp. Smitten Kitchen had a interesting brisket recipe a few days ago, but it was a slow cooker or dutch oven based one, but a Southwestern brisket sounds kind of interesting.

  51. 51.

    asiangrrlMN

    @gbear: Aw, sorry that you are home sick. I actually am a bit sad that I am missing the cold, but it’s going to be there when I get back.

    @Keith G: I do! But you have to be on Facebook to view them. My bro took the pics. If you go to my blog, I have links every day to the albums.

  52. 52.

    Steeplejack

    Lazy request for input: Any suggestions for a good DVD player? Requirements are to play both NTSC and PAL and to be region-free (or easily hacked to be region-free). I have looked at some of the usual suspects on Amazon, but what I want is real-world experience and feedback on details I might not consider and/or any belated gotcha’s experienced. E.g., I don’t feel a need to play home-made CDs or DVDs (music or video), but maybe I should take that into consideration?

    The subtext is that as a belated–and unexpected–Christmas present (it was back-ordered) I just received an HD TV from some family members. ¡Caramba! This thing is so far ahead of what I had before that I’m feeling like I need to upgrade my whole apartment, not just the DVD player. Is it possible to feel looked down upon by one’s appliances? Not complaining, mind you, but this is going to take some getting used to.

  55. 55.

    ellaesther

    @Xanthippas: I’ve been making a habit the past few days of clicking on people’s personal links in their BJ handles, and I wanted to say how interesting your yesterday’s post was! I had no idea that the Democrats were actually finding ways around Republican obstructionism…! It was, as I say, interesting — and also sort of encouraging! One is getting weary of belonging to the Party of We’re-Such-Big-Weenies-That-We-Can’t-Make-Our-Majority-Work-For-Us.

  57. 57.

    Violet

    I’m a bit sad that the idiot teabaggers and their wretched Tea Party movement has usurped the word “tea.” I love tea. I drink it every day – usually hot. Am not happy that it has such an awful association now. Couldn’t they have picked on Tang or Vitamin Water or something?

  58. 58.

    Citizen_X

    Ladies and gentlemen, I direct your attention to this highly recommended diary at the GOS. Here’s a taste:

    Don’t forget the naughts, because this decade, no matter what anyone on the right might say, was conservatism on trial. You want less taxes? You got less taxes. You want less regulation? You got less regulation. Open markets? Wide open. An illusuion of security in place of rights? Hey, presto. Think we should privatize war by handing unlimited power given to military contractors so they can kick butt and take names? Kiddo, we passed out boots and pencils by the thousands. Everything, everything, that ever showed up on a drooled-over right wing wish list got implemented — with a side order of Freedom Fries.

    Things to keep in mind as we head into the 2010 election, with some in the middle thinking, “Hmm, maybe the Republicans deserve a chance again,” while some on the left think, “Maybe I’ll try the Naderite ‘punish-the-Dems’ strategy again and see how it works this time.”

  59. 59.

    Keith G

    @donovong: In 1923 Time became the first weekly news magazine in the United States.

    In Jan 2010, Time hypes its list of Top Ten Mistresses (as opposed to Ten Mistresses on Top list, I guess).

    The moldering remains of Henry Luce are spinning.

    Oh, and I purposely avoided the obvious Tiger joke.

  62. 62.

    Chat Noir

    @ellaesther: Rachel Maddow talked about this last night. Apparently, Judd Gregg sent out a memo detailing how the Rethuglicans will obstruct HCR. Hence, the Dems are sort of circumventing the conference committee in the interest of getting HCR to the president before the state of the union.

  63. 63.

    schrodinger's cat

    @jwb: @geg6:

    To maintain his “reasonable” credentials he does add that end,that he is not a fan of the movement. Why can’t NYT get better columnists? Douthat (catholic scold) and Friedman (he of the inane metaphors) and Dowd (gossip columnist) make Brooks look good, I think.

  65. 65.

    Michael D.

    @Violet:

    I’m a bit sad that the idiot teabaggers and their wretched Tea Party movement has usurped the word “tea.” I love tea. I drink it every day – usually hot.

    I hear ya!

    I love teabagging! I do it everyday! It’s usually hot, too!

  67. 67.

    Svensker

    @SGEW:

    Western officials said that [the bomber, Dr. Humam Khali Mohammed,] had been in a Jordanian prison and that he was recruited by the Jordanian spy service.

    What no one has mentioned in that the guy was a Palestinian Jordanian. He hated us for our freedoms and U.S. support for everything Israel does has no bearing on the Warrenterra.

  70. 70.

    JGabriel

    donovong:

    As if “wooing” Washington is in the fucking job description.

    Obama was later heard to tell a Time magazine Top Ten list compiler, “I’m the fucking President, bitches. You woo me!”

    (I wish.)

    .

  71. 71.

    valdivia

    Sorry if someone already posted this but Halperin in his unrivaled idiocy has his grade for Obama and he says he has failed in wooing official Washington (I guess that is why Sally Quinn published her column) and failed to ‘create stars’. WTH is this man talking about?

    I refuse to link to him but will link to MattY who had a good bit on it.

  74. 74.

    schrodinger's cat

    @asiangrrlMN:
    I don’t understand his popularity at all. He is such a smug know-it-all, and not even a good writer. Apparently before getting this gig, he was a reasonably good foreign correspondent, or so I am told.

    How is your trip coming along? Does Taiwan have much of a winter? Are you having fun?

  76. 76.

    jwb

    @valdivia: I especially liked Matt’s opening line: “Mark Halperin’s report card on Obama’s first year makes Barack Obama look like a really great president and elite political reporters look really dumb and petty. “

  77. 77.

    Mike in NC

    Judd Gregg sent out a memo detailing how the Rethuglicans will obstruct HCR.

    I’m finishing up “Nixonland” after a bout with the flu slowed me down. Judd Gregg is a classic Nixonian ratfucker.

  78. 78.

    Violet

    @schrodinger’s cat: @asiangrrlMN:
    Not a fan of Earl Grey or Lady Grey – bergamot oil should be banned from tea, imho. But love, love, love a good cup of chai, especially done the right way – water, tea, milk, spices all boiled together, preferably over a wood fire. And asiangrrlMN, I think your people got the whole tea thing started, right?

    @valdivia:
    What the hell is “create stars”? That’s so ridiculous sounding, it’s comical. Stars like the “Brad Pitt” type? Or stars like the “North Star”, “Orion’s belt” type? Or stars within Washington, because that’s as far as the idiot who created the list can think?

  80. 80.

    ellaesther

    @asiangrrlMN: This makes me think of when I lived in Tel Aviv. The temperature would dip into the upper forties, and people would be bundled to within an inch of their lives. After 14 years of this, of course, when I came back to Chicago, my first winter was just painful. “But my face is always cold…!”

  81. 81.

    Violet

    @mcd410x:
    English Breakfast is among my favorites. I think I slightly prefer Scottish Breakfast, though. I’m very partial to a tea called Kenya from Sainsbury’s in the UK. I guess that makes me a commie pinko Muslim terrorist lover and someone should check my long-form birth certificate. Sigh.

  82. 82.

    PeakVT

    @Morbo: I have no idea. The article reads like a list of marketing catch-phrases somebody found and randomly assigned in fair ‘n’ balanced way.

  83. 83.

    valdivia

    @asiangrrlMN:
    well sounds like the food is good and the scenery spectacular ;-)

    @jwb:
    yeah MattY is the only way I was going to consume the drivel pouring out of Halperin. This is the guy who had McCain winning every week of the election so this idiocy just doesn’t surprise me.

    @Violet:
    that was exactly what I thought. Obama is not only supposed to give us a pony but also change the constellations in the universe? But really, how is ‘creating stars’ even relevant or important? Does he mean Obama is not giving them enough shiny balls to follow around with their sycophantic praise?

  87. 87.

    donovong

    @valdivia: Well, I would like to borrow the “I read this shit so you don’t have to” meme, but I happened in there by accident, when heading to look in on Swampland. I like Tumulty.

  90. 90.

    Violet

    @schrodinger’s cat:
    No, I haven’t. Sadly, there is no Trader Joe’s near me. Have visited them when I traveling, but haven’t checked out their tea. I do like Irish Breakfast, but would put it third behind Scottish and English. They’re all good, though!

    Have you tried Russian Caravan? It’s smoky. Very nice for a cold day.

  91. 91.

    geg6

    And here is where my 1/4 Irish (from maternal grandmother) side trumps my 1/2 English (both paternal grandparents) side. Tea is sick food, especially with a tot of Irish whiskey in it. Otherwise, not worth drinking the swill.

    That is all. ;-)

  92. 92.

    Svensker

    @Violet:

    What the hell is “create stars”? That’s so ridiculous sounding, it’s comical. Stars like the “Brad Pitt” type? Or stars like the “North Star”, “Orion’s belt” type? Or stars within Washington, because that’s as far as the idiot who created the list can think?

    I was thinking pantsian starbursts.

  93. 93.

    RedKitten

    @mcd410x: I’m all about the Earl Grey, thank you very much. Although I bought a tin of this lovely loose tea in Paris once, with bits of cherry in it. I made it last as long as I could, but now it’s all gone. And no trip to Paris in sight.

    I haz a sad.

    Actually, I has two sads. I saw a job online, for which I’d be qualified, that pays gloriously, and that I’d really enjoy. But, it’s a two-hour drive from here. I’d only see Sam on weekends, because I’d be leaving before he’s up, and getting home when he goes to bed. I’m going to apply anyway, and if I get the interview I’ll propose a partial telecommuting arrangement, but I’m not optimistic. Why are so many businesses so leery of telecommuting? Don’t they realize that they’d save money AND broaden their candidate pool?

  94. 94.

    danimal

    I don’t really care about the Orange Bowl tonight (don’t have a strong preference for either team), but I hope it’s a little more exciting than the disappointing Fiesta Bowl last night. The highlight of the Fiesta Bowl for me was when the Fox graphic identified a player’s major as “Cummunications.” College sure has changed in the last 20 years….

    How that one slipped by is beyond my imagination, especially since they spelled the word correctly in several other instances.

  95. 95.

    Violet

    @asiangrrlMN:
    I just loved the tea shops when I was in Taipei. Brought some home. No idea what kind it was, but it’s green and fantastic. It’s been awhile now, but I think the shop proprietor let us smell the teas to pick which one we wanted. They were lovely.

    @schrodinger’s cat: An elitist! Of course. How could I forget. I’ll add that to the list of my sins. Just like Obama, who asked for orange juice instead of coffee, I prefer tea to coffee most days. Obviously I’m an elitist.

  98. 98.

    Brachiator

    @donovong:

    Wooing Official Washington

    This reminds me of a bonehead column by some sports writer who suggested that two of the most important things that Tiger Woods could do to make amends would be to sign more autographs for fans and give more interviews to sports reporters.

    But it is typical of the Beltway crowd to think that a person is elected president not to run the country, but to please the Washington elite.

  106. 106.

    Jim Once

    @asiangrrlMN: Just tried a flower tea for the first time this morning (son and asian daughter in law gave it to me for my birthday yesterday). It was wonderful — going to be an every-morning thing for me from now on.

  109. 109.

    RNC RINO

    Here’s an innovative new way to motivate the base – tell them their chances in November suck. I’m wondering how long it’ll be before Mikey needs to “Spend More Time With His Family”

    Republican operatives are privately furious with RNC Chairman Michael Steele for predicting on Monday night that the GOP will not take over the House of Representatives in 2010.

    One strategist called the comment “stupid,” arguing that it will put the party in a bind when it comes to candidate recruitment and generally lower expectations and excitement over the 2010 elections.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/05/nrcc-pushes-back-against_n_411624.html

  110. 110.

    Violet

    @schrodinger’s cat:
    I’m not sure where you can find it. I’ve found it in specialty stores and also in the UK. According to this it’s lapsang souchong mixed with assam, but I don’t think that really does it justice. Lapsang Souchong has the smoky flavor, but it’s not as deep and rich as Russian Caravan.

  112. 112.

    JGabriel

    @trollhattan:

    At least I can still get the tshirts.

    Yes. My favorite sentence in that story is actually the advertising link for those shirts:

    Get the must-wear clothing item for 2010! “Where’s the birth certificate” T-shirt!

    Now I suppose that back in 2008, in the run-up to the election, it’s possible that a birther t-shirt might had some cutting-edge cred amongst a segment of particularly right wing fashionistas — but in 2010? Nuh-uh.

    .

  114. 114.

    asiangrrlMN

    @geg6: I drink coffee, tea, AND orange juice (from time to time). Ha!

    @Jim Once: Wonderful, isn’t it? Very complex flavors.

    @schrodinger’s cat: No can haz! ALLLLLL mine! Bwahahahahaha! Actually, you can probably order flower tea online or find them at a nearby Asian grocery (assuming you have one in your vicinity).

Comments are closed.